State of the federation - Part I

For almost three years, Steve Johnson has been at the helm of USA Cycling as it navigated the path through the sport's ever-changing landscape. At the time of his appointment, cycling in North America was still riding the 'Armstrong wave' of popularity as membership within the organisation continued to grow. Looking back, he said he is happy with the progress he has made and plans to continue in his position.

"I hope to," he laughs when asked if he wants to stay. "But it's ultimately the board's decision. My contract was through 2008, so we're discussing my terms."

As for what he thinks are his marquee accomplishments, Johnson's happy with solidifying cycling's place in the vast genre of 'Olympic sports'. "A lot of different components of the organisation have been modified or added that I have been a part of, and I am very proud of that," says Johnson. "Now we have a much better sense of where this organisation sits in terms of the development of the sport.

"I look back at my tenure here... I was first engaged as a consultant to redesign the athletic program, and out of that process came a new paradigm for athletics that was rather revolutionary," he continues. "It turned out to be very effective way to look at athlete programming, and because of that switch in philosophy we have been able to make decisions to produce remarkable results."